Espírito Santo

Espírito Santo, on Brazil’s Atlantic coast, grows two very different coffees. Most of it is conilon, Brazil’s name for robusta: USDA says the state grows about 20% of the world’s robusta. Up in its mountains, family farms grow arabica, protected since 2021 as Montanhas do Espírito Santo. In 2026 Conab expects 16.5 million bags in all, second only to Minas Gerais.

The short version

• Brazil’s conilon heartland: 12.1 million bags in 2026, about a fifth of the world’s robusta.
• Mountain arabica too: 4.4 million bags, from 500–1,400 m.
• Conilon: strong, bitter, low in acidity, double the caffeine of arabica.
• Montanhas arabica: mostly washed, with cane syrup, red fruit and bright acidity.
• Three protected origins, all from 2021.

How much coffee does Espírito Santo grow?

Figure	2026	Source
Area in production	396,987 ha	Conab
Total crop	16.5 million bags, down 5.4%	Conab
Conilon	12.1 million bags, down 14.3%	Conab
Arabica	4.38 million bags, up 33%	Conab
Share of Brazil’s conilon area	70%	USDA

The conilon fell in 2026, Conab says, because cold weather made the flowering irregular, after a record 2025. The arabica rose with the on-year of the biennial cycle and 4.9% more area in production.

Conilon: what is it like?

The Espírito Santo indication of source, registered on 11 May 2021, covers conilon from the whole state, green, roasted and as instant coffee. INPI’s sheet describes it:

• 2.2% caffeine, almost double arabica’s;
• a more bitter, stronger flavour and aroma, with 3–7% sugars and lower acidity;
• smaller beans and thinner fruit than arabica, but much higher yields.

Altitude changes the cup. Conilon grows in warmer areas, 22–26 °C, up to about 600 metres: lower down it is fuller-bodied, with chocolate and peanut; higher up it is more floral and fruity. To use the name it must score at least 78 points on the Fine Robusta standard of the Coffee Quality Institute and the Uganda Coffee Development Authority.

Conilon arrived in 1912, the sheet says, but only spread from the 1960s, after a coffee crisis led to much of the state’s arabica being uprooted. USDA, quoting the state’s research and extension institute Incaper, says about 70% of it is now irrigated.

Montanhas do Espírito Santo: the mountain arabica

The Montanhas do Espírito Santo denomination of origin, registered on 4 May 2021, covers arabica from 16 municipalities, including Venda Nova do Imigrante, Domingos Martins, Santa Teresa and Brejetuba. INPI’s sheet places the farms at 500 to 1,400 metres, at 18–22 °C, with 1,000–1,600 mm of rain a year. It says higher ground gives more exotic notes, while lower farms give woodier, cereal-like and more astringent coffee.

Processing	INPI’s cup description
Washed (most of it)	Cane syrup, red fruit, caramel, chocolate, spice, floral and vanilla; bright, citric, liqueur-like acidity; velvety body; smooth flavour; medium finish
Natural	Winey, yellow fruit, caramel, chocolate, doce de leite, spice, honey, almond; citric, tartaric acidity; intense flavour; long finish

Source: INPI, Montanhas do Espírito Santo technical sheet.

The sheet credits more than altitude: soils higher up carry diverse bacteria whose enzymes help the fermentation of the mucilage, and the farms are mostly small family plots, worked largely by hand by descendants of Portuguese, German and Italian settlers. USDA adds that over 95% of the state’s arabica, in the south, is grown without irrigation.

When is it harvested?

Earlier than Minas Gerais. Conab’s 2026 calendar for Espírito Santo shows the harvest starting in March, peaking in May (31%), June (29%) and July (23%), and trailing on in small amounts to November. Conab also reports machine harvesting spreading in the state as pickers become scarce.

Espírito Santo and other Brazilian origins

• Coffee in Brazil: the whole country, its harvest and its figures.
• Caparaó: cold mountain arabica shared with Minas Gerais.
• Rondônia: Amazonian robusta.
• Bahia: irrigated conilon on the Atlantic coast, and highland arabica.